Do you find your home in a cluttered and messy state more often than you’d like to? If you do, then there may be certain causes behind it that you’re presently unaware of. After all, a home that’s frequently messy is one that needs regular cleaning. And no one really likes to go through hours of cleaning every other day only to find the place in a mess again after a few days. In this post, we’ll share with you the top 5 reasons that may be the culprits responsible for cluttering your home. So, without further ado, let’s get started!
1. Reluctance to clean regularly
We know that cleaning isn’t an enjoyable process. At the end of the day, it’s a chore, and it’s very natural for homeowners not to want to do it. However, it needs to be done for the sake of the physical and mental well-being of your whole family. If you’re someone who tends to put off cleaning until you reach your breaking point, you should rethink your home cleaning strategy.
Rachel Hoffman’s 20/10 cleaning method, which she shared with readers in her 2017 book Unf*ck Your Habitat: You’re Better Than Your Mess, is the best solution for this problem. The method involves 20 minutes of cleaning, which is followed by a 10-minute break.
2. Excessive emotional attachment
It’s natural for homeowners to be emotionally attached to certain possessions. However, when the attachment becomes excessive, it can result in a lot of clutter in the form of unnecessary things. These would be things that don’t serve any purpose but nonetheless are occupying a lot of space.
We’re not asking you to throw everything out. But just ask yourself this – “do I really need all the things that I have? What are the things that I can dispose of without feeling emotionally overwhelmed?”. Once you’ve found clarity within yourself, proceed to get rid of the things that won’t make much of a difference to you if they aren’t around.
3. Shopping for shopping’s sake
We’re all consumers, but sometimes, we tend to consume more than what we really need, especially when we have money to burn. This is a bad habit that leads to a lot of unnecessary items of various types occupying precious space within a home. The worst thing about this habit is that if it becomes a regular thing, it can very well turn into an addiction.
The solution to this problem is not to stop shopping altogether, but to shop only when you really need something. If you already have one or two things of the same kind, is there really any need for you to buy a third? If the answer inside your head is a resounding no, steer clear of your shopaholic tendencies.
4. Too much junk and/or expired items
It’s okay to dump a few junk mails on the table, but when you keep dumping them over a long time, the molehill can very quickly transform into a mountain. Add brochures, magazines, and newspapers to the equation, and it’s easy to see why your home feels so cluttered and chaotic. You may also have the tendency to keep certain products such as medications that are well past their expiry dates.
The easiest way to deal with excess junk and/or expired products is to check what comes into your home and the things that are already there. You don’t have to do this in a paranoid way. It’s all about being a bit careful and cautious on an everyday basis. Think about it, wouldn’t caring a little every day about your home’s cleanliness be better than ignoring everything and feeling overwhelmed a few days later?
5. Lack of storage space
To be able to store a lot of different things across the various rooms and areas of your home, you need proper storage space. Shelves, cabinets, and drawers are all handy storage spaces that should be appropriately distributed throughout your home. If their distribution is disproportionate, you’re bound to run into problems sooner or later.
At this point, you might be thinking, “That’s it! I only need to add more convenient storage spaces and all the clutter will be sorted.” However, that’s a commonly mistaken way of looking at it. Quite simply, if you have ample storage space, you’re more likely to store unnecessary items without sparing a second thought. The trick to clearing out the clutter is combining smart storage with a commitment to performing cleaning duties regularly.
If you and your family members stay very busy throughout the week and find it difficult to accommodate cleaning into your daily routine, we recommend getting in touch with professional cleaners. Sure, you’ll need to shell out some money for their services. But ultimately, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with staying in a home that’s free of clutter.